playbook to backup network device running configuration to local file

gistfile1.txt

---
- hosts: ios
  connection: local

  vars:
    backup_root: /tmp/backups

    cli:
      host: "{{ inventory_hostname }}"
      username: cisco
      password: cisco
      transport: cli

  tasks:
    - name: run show running-config on remote devices
      ios_command:
        commands: show running
        provider: "{{ cli }}"
      register: config

    - name: ensure backup folder is created
      file:
        path: "{{ backup_root }}"
        state: directory
      run_once: yes

    - name: ensure device rolder is created
      file:
        path: "{{ backup_root }}/{{ inventory_hostname }}"
        state: directory

    - name: get timestamp
      command: date +%Y%m%d
      register: timestamp

    - copy:
        content: "{{ config.stdout[0] }}"
        dest: "{{ backup_root }}/{{ inventory_hostname }}/running-config_{{ timestamp.stdout }}"

provided hosts list is empty, only localhost is available. Note that the implicit localhost does not match

Authentication or permission failure. In some cases, you may have been able to authenticate and did not have permissions on the target directory. Consider changing the remote tmp path in ansible.cfg to a path rooted in "/tmp". Failed command was: ( umask 77 && mkdir -p "` echo /root/.ansible/tmp/ansible-local-2756uxxwdzsa/ansible-